Subject: Retrospective: Hook (1991)

From: Jerry Saravia <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 20:04:44 -0000

HOOK (1991)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: One star

"Hook" is the most bombastic, depressing, overdone and highly ineffectual
fantasy film ever made. What is most depressing is that director Steven
Spielberg made it, the very same cinematic wizard who awed us with "E.T." This
is not the Peter Pan sequel many of us have been clamoring for, and I suspect
that it will always be considered a failure in every respect. 

Peter Pan (Robin Williams) is now an adult and a parent. He is a successful
lawyer who has virtually ignored his children and his wife (Caroline Goodall)
because of his heavy workload and his constantly ringing cell phone. Peter never
makes it to his son's baseball games, and is seemingly attached to his cell
phone. They all go on a Christmas trip to see Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) while
Peter makes some attempt to reconnect to his family. Before you know it, Captain
Hook (Dustin Hoffman) has kidnapped Peter's kids to Never-Never Land while the
pint-sized Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) wakes Peter up since he is unaware of his
past exploits to save his kids. What does he have, amnesia? Ultimately, Peter
reunites with the Lost Boys (who love to have food fights) to find his inner
child. How 90's!

"Hook" is full of action but it is misdirected with overstylized, brightly lit
sets that are likely to give you a migraine. Every scene is scored with
thunderous overkill by John Williams and so darn loud that it will cause your
eardrums to burst. Showing Peter Pan as a bloated fool who confronts mermaids
wearing Day-Glo and punkish, unlikable Lost Boys who practically abuse him as if
he were in boot camp is not the fanciful, magical tale I know. The ending reeks
of so much mawkishness that I felt I was showered with an emotional waterfall of
fake tears. And we do not have just one climax but at least three by my count.
"Hook" is Spielberg's biggest folly since "1941."

For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at
http://www.geocities.com/faustus_08520/Jerry_at_the_Movies.html 

Email: [email-masked] or at [email-masked]    

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